


Idiots Fighting Demons

by Beulaugh



Series: wtFOCK/Shadowhunters Crossover AUs [1]
Category: SKAM (Netherlands), WTFock | Skam (Belgium)
Genre: Acrobatic Lucas, Bad first impression, Confusion, Enemies to Lovers, Fighting Demons, M/M, Sobbe cuteness, Social Anxiety, Vettige Vrijdag, flirting while training, shadowhunters au, slight descriptions of demon fighting violence, van der stoffels
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-16
Updated: 2020-08-16
Packaged: 2021-03-06 07:55:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 16,531
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25929991
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Beulaugh/pseuds/Beulaugh
Summary: The wtFOCK/Shadowhunter crossover no one asked for.  Sander's returning home to Antwerp after living in the Utrecht Institute for 3 years, and he's bringing his Parabatai Lucas with him. Robbe and Sander immediately hit it off, but Lucas and Jens start off on the wrong foot.What happens when Jens and Lucas are sent off to fight demons? Will Lucas overcome his anxiety? Will Jens figure out why this beautiful boy drives him crazy?
Relationships: Jens Stoffels/Lucas van der Heijden, Sander Driesen/Robbe IJzermans
Series: wtFOCK/Shadowhunters Crossover AUs [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1944637
Comments: 11
Kudos: 46





	Idiots Fighting Demons

**Author's Note:**

> I've desperately been wanting a wtFOCK/Shadowhunters crossover au because Sobbe is my current obsession, and Malec was my first love. They say you write the fics you want but can't find, so here it is. My first attempt at VDS and a crossover all at once.
> 
> Written for VDS Week, Day 7. AUs
> 
> This au includes details from the Shadowhunter books, so if you've only seen the TV show, there might be a few things you don't recognize or understand. None of them matter to the story line. I just added them to make the world seem more real to me.
> 
> If you're not at all familiar with the Shadow World, I doubt it will be a problem. The only thing you really need to know is that Parabatai are non-romantic, lifelong partners who've chosen to go through a magical bonding ceremony that makes them closer than siblings. They fight best when together and are rarely separated.
> 
> In a sense this is a work of love because it combines 3 of my greatest loves: anything Shadowhunters related, wtFOCK, and my favorite book of all time. I based this fic on the plot of that book. Jens and Lucas refused to behave, so I veered off plot sooner than I planned; but there is still an homage to the greatest love story ever written in here (my opinion, of course). All I'd need to do is add a Harry Potter reference, and you'd know almost everything about me.
> 
> Trigger Warnings:  
> -There is a little violence, nothing graphic, but they do fight demons.  
> -Social Anxiety is mentioned, and there are some descriptions of what it feels like (at least to me).

**Idiots Fighting Demons**

“Sander’s coming home.”

“Who?” asked Robbe.

“You know, Sander, the Drieson’s eldest who went to the Utrecht Institute for his travel year early, at seventeen, and then decided to stay for two more,” responded Jens sloppily, as he stuffed three more fries in his mouth. Chewing thoughtfully, he added, “You’ve met him. He’s a few years older than us. His parents trained him at home, so we never really saw him because we were at the Academy; and then when we came home, he was in Utrecht. Anyway, the point is that he’s coming home this weekend to stay, and his parents are throwing a party at their house.”

“Ugh, the Driesons,” groaned Robbe. “My father’s going to make me try to suck up to them. You know I hate the political posturing. I don’t understand why he doesn’t get it. He’s never going to get a high position in the Enclave, let alone the Clave. I just want him to give it a rest.”

“Is there any way we can avoid it? You know I hate them too.” Jens leaned over Robbe to steal a handful of his fries, shoving them in his mouth before Robbe could steal them back.

Shoving his shoulder, Robbe reached over and grabbed Jens’ beer, taking a sip. “Your reason makes more sense than mine, though,” Robbe said. 

“Maybe. My parents are a disgrace, and I don’t know why people like reminding me. It’s not like I’ve forgotten that they chose to lock themselves in Alicante. Anyway, is there any way we can convince your dad to let you skip it?”

“Nope,” Robbe responded immediately, “not a chance. My dad will make us get there early and introduce me to everyone I know all over again. Please,” he begged, “don’t make me go alone. I need you there. If I’m going to be embarrassed, I need you there to make me laugh afterwards.”

“I will go only if --” he reached over for Robbe’s fries, “you give me the rest of your fries and pay for our next _Vettige Vrijdag._ ”

“Fine. Anything. Thanks Jens,” he said with a sigh and a faint smile.

*******

Standing by the front door of the Drieson’s house, Lucas and Sander waited for the first guests to arrive. Lucas looked over at Sander, trying not to roll his eyes as his friend practically exploded with excitement. Sander was rocking back and forth from his heels to his toes. The knives tucked into his boots and hip belts gleamed in the bright party lights. He looked every inch the confident Shadowhunter that he was, dressed in a mixture of gear and street clothes. 

Lucas smiled to himself a little. This was supposed to be a fancy party for Sander, and instead he’d shown up appropriately dressed for both fighting demons and attending a rock concert. He had meshed his gear pants and jacket with a Bowie t-shirt and Doc Martens. 

Lucas wished he could have half of Sander’s confidence. Sander just looked so sure. So sure that everyone would welcome him home and be happy to see him, that he would have a good time and be accepted. 

Lucas was less sure. As someone from another Institute, he felt out of place. He was nervous to meet all these shadowhunters he’d heard so much about, and he worried about making a good impression. And if he was honest with himself, Antwerp had not been first on his list of Institutes to visit for his travel year. Being so close to home, it was probably his last choice. It was kind of disappointing to think he was missing out on seeing more of the world, but Sander had really wanted to come home, and so here is where Lucas found himself. At least for now.

Taking a deep breath, he looked at Sander again and gave him a half smile.

“You ready,” Sander asked.

“If by ready, you mean do I feel like I want to take your ridiculous boots off and puke in them, then yes. I am ready.”

“C’mon, Lucas. It’s going to be fine. They’ll love you. I’ve known you for 3 years, and I still want to hang out with you, prickly personality and all.”

“Hey!” shouted Lucas, shoving Sander with his shoulder. “I prefer to be thought of as sarcastic and wary. And anyway, you have to like me. We’re _Parabatai_. It’s part of the contract. You’re biased, and you know how I am around strangers.”

“Yes, I do know,” laughed Sander. “For someone who is so awesome, I can’t believe how tongue tied and nervous you get. Do you want me to hold your hands, so they won’t shake?” Sander pouted, puffing out his lips and reaching out to clasp Lucas’s hands.

“Sander, you are an ass,” squeaked Lucas, swatting his hands away, “and I can’t believe I somehow agreed to be your _Parabatai_. I must have been drunk.”

“You agreed because you love me…and my ass,” Sander added with a wry grin.

“Uuuuggh! I hate you. I said it one time. ONE TIME. And I was drunk and had just come out. By the Angel, I hope you find someone else to flirt with and torture here, so I have someone to commiserate with.”

After that oh-so-eloquent statement, Lucas heard the first knock at the door. He immediately shut his mouth and stood rigid beside Sander, all his nerves returning at once. Sander’s parents came running from the other room where they’d been finalizing all the decorations and food, and as soon as they were in place, Mr. Drieson opened the door. 

“Ah, Jonathon, Mary, welcome, thanks for coming,” boomed Sander’s father. “You know my son Sander.”

“Ah, yes, he used to train with our nephew Stephen,” recalled Mary, looking at Sander fondly.

“Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Peeters. It’s nice to see you again. Thank you for coming. Let me introduce you to my _Parabatai_ Lucas van der Heijden. We met while I was in Utrecht.”

Mr. and Mrs. Peeters looked over expectantly at Lucas. Fists clenched at his sides, spine ramrod straight, and sweat glistening on his brow, Lucas stammered out a “nice to meet you.” He tried to smile, but it faltered when he saw Mrs. Peeters narrow her eyes and pinch her lips together. She looked at Sander and then at Lucas, and Lucas was sure he saw surprise and disappointment in her eyes. As they walked away, he let out the breath he was holding and silently berated himself for being so awkward.

Sander leaned in and whispered, “God, this is so formal. I think I’m going to die of boredom and turn into a mundane right here.” Silently, he reached over and squeezed Lucas’s hand and then patted him on the back. “Big breath. It’ll be fine. Thanks for being here.”

*******

Still wishing he could have avoided the Drieson’s fancy soiree, Jens laughed beside Robbe as they walked up to the Drieson’s house. Robbe’s parents followed sedately behind. Elbowing and poking each other to determine who would knock on the door, Jens was surprised to feel Mr. IJzermans push him aside and knock himself.

Mathias Drieson opened the door, and Robbe’s father immediately started pumping his hand up and down, chatting about Clave news. Jens and Robbe walked in behind Mr. IJzermans. In a moment of complete agreement, they decided to skip greeting Sander’s parents entirely, and looked towards the two young men standing next to them. 

Jens walked forward purposefully, hand outstretched towards Sander, smiling brightly. As he grabbed the boy’s hand, he looked up and realized he was alone, and Sander wasn’t looking at him. Sander’s green eyes were fixed on Robbe, a Robbe who hadn’t made it more than three steps into the house before planting himself and staring at Sander. 

Almost comically, Jens looked back and forth between Robbe and Sander, neither of whom were talking or moving. Suddenly there was a movement on Sander’s right side, and Jens shifted his gaze, catching the eye of a beautiful boy with curly light-brown hair. For an instant, Jens was able to see a mocking half-smile and mischievous eyes, but when the boy realized Jens was looking at him, his face immediately became serious, almost angry.

After the initial thought of _oh how pretty he is_ , Jens wondered what his problem was and why he might be angry at him. _Odd_ , he thought. Shaking himself mentally, he let go of Sander’s hand, walked back to Robbe, and dragged him forward. 

As Robbe came closer, both Sander and Robbe looked like they were coming out of a daze, lopsided smiles with slightly glazed-over eyes. Sander still said nothing.

Deciding that he would have to take the lead here, Jens said, “Hi Sander. You may not remember me well, but I’m Jens Stoffels. The person you are clearly more interested in is Robbe IJzermans, my _Parabatai_. He's a Leo and likes long walks on the be--" Jens stopped abruptly when Robbe elbowed him in the ribs. Clearing his throat, he continued, "We were at the Academy before you left for Utrecht, so we probably haven’t seen you since we were kids.”

Shaking his head, Sander shook Jens’s hand and then reached out for Robbe’s hand. In a low voice, he said, “Hi Robbe.” He then continued to hold Robbe’s hand as he started walking toward another room in the house, essentially dragging Robbe along. While Robbe’s face registered surprise, Jens couldn’t detect any concern or worry. After a slight nod from Robbe, Jens decided not to follow and turned to the beautiful, angry boy.

“Hi, I’m Jens,” he said with a grin.

“I know. You just said that.”

“Right, yeah. Ok. But I still don’t know who you are.”

In a somewhat jerky voice, the boy spit out, “I’m Lucas, Sander’s _Parabatai_ from Utrecht.”

“Ooooooh,” replied Jens. “You must be the reason he stayed so long.”

“Probably.”

Jens waited to see if Lucas would say anything else. He didn’t. He just stood there all stiff and angry-looking. Well, Jens thought, _you’re supposed to kill them with kindness, right_? “Well, ok,” he said. “Welcome to Antwerp. I’m going to go over there to my friends Moyo and Aaron. Since Sander’s deserted you, you can come with me if you like.”

“NO!” Lucas shouted. Then he swallowed, looking a little sheepish and said, “No. No...uh, thank you.” 

Jens’s last thought before joining Moyo and Aaron was to think Lucas was a little stuck up. 

*******

Lucas watched Jens walk away. The tension in his shoulders released and his whole body sagged. _Why? Why did I just yell, “No,” at the most beautiful person I’ve ever seen when he was being kind and asked me to join him? What is wrong with me?_

Lucas gave himself a mental shake and decided that if Sander wasn’t at the door to greet his guests, then he didn’t have to stay any longer either. Taking long, quick strides, he walked purposefully towards the kitchen. 

He spent the next hour in the kitchen, occasionally talking to the Cook, Joanna, but mostly just avoiding everyone, especially that stunning Jens, who probably thought he was an idiot. He was sitting on the counter eating some canapes he’d nicked when a shadowhunter he didn’t know burst through the back door.

“There’s been a demon attack. In Stadspark. Ravener demons. We need to get out there quickly. They--” and then he collapsed. 

Lucas acted immediately. He checked the man’s body for wounds, gave him an iratze, and then ran out of the kitchen in search of Sander, telling Joana about the unconscious man on the way. He found Sander and Robbe in the library. Leaving the door open behind him, he quickly explained the situation.

“Well, I’m not going. This is my party, and I’m having too much fun,” said Sander, looking a little too fondly at Robbe.

“Shouldn’t we tell your parents or Robbe’s, so they can send someone?” asked Lucas.

“Nah. Lucas, this is your chance to get out there and get to know Antwerp. Why don’t you go? You’re not enjoying this party anyway. You hate parties, and Raveners are nothing for you. You shouldn’t go alone, though.” Turning to Robbe, he added, “Robbe, who should go with him that won’t make a scene, and don’t say you because I forbid it. My party, remember?” He winked. 

With a big, goofy smile, Robbe said, “How about Jens? He won’t make a fuss, and he didn’t want to be at this party anyway. Sorry.” Robbe looked sheepish. “It had nothing to do with you.” After a pause, he added, “I’ll go get him.”

As soon as he left, Lucas’s eyes shot daggers at Sander. “No way!” he exclaimed. “No. Not with Jens. I can’t. I won’t.”

“For goodness sakes, Lucas, why not? Seriously. He seemed nice.”

“Yeah, but you didn’t make a fool of yourself in front of him. He probably thinks I don’t have any brain cells. I just struggle with new people.”

“You’re just nervous because he’s so pretty,” winked Sander, trying to distract him.

“I can’t believe you’ve had time to notice. I haven’t seen you look away from Robbe all evening.”

“Yeah, well, he’s--” Sander’s face softened, and his green eyes darkened slightly. “Well, he’s special. I can tell. And he’s prettier, anyway.”

“Sure, Sander. Sure. Just don’t get too attached. Remember, we’re not planning to stay here indefinitely. We were planning to ask for an assignment somewhere interesting. Different. Exciting.”

“Antwerp is interesting. Are you insulting my home?” Sander asked jokingly.

“Perhaps. Or I could just be suggesting that it’s too close to my home,” Lucas replied, smiling wide.

“See. You’re already relaxing. You’ll be fine. Let’s go get your gear and then find your hottie, Jens.”

“He’s not my hottie--”

*******

Jens was waiting for Robbe at the end of the hallway. He’d just run from his place by the door of the library. He’d been looking for Robbe a few minutes prior, and upon finding him in the library with Lucas, he’d decided to wait for Lucas to leave. Leaning on the wall just outside the door, he overheard Robbe’s suggestion. When Robbe said he’d go find him, Jens assumed he’d be coming out of the door any second, but he didn’t. Just as he realized Robbe must have left through a different door, he heard Lucas say, “No way. No. Not with Jens. I can’t. I won’t.”

 _What?_ _Seriously, who is this guy, and who does he think he is?_ Angrily, Jens stiffened and walked to the end of the hallway to wait for Robbe to find him. He started pacing, feeling more and more upset and confused.

A minute or so later, Robbe found Jens. “Jens, there’s been a Ravener attack at Stadspark. Can you go with Lucas to clear it up?”

“I don’t know. Apparently, he doesn’t want me to come with him,” Jens said petulantly.

“What? What do you mean?”

“I overheard him in the library saying there was no way he’d go with me.”

“That’s ridiculous. You just met. C’mon, let’s get your gear from the car.”

“Rooooobbbbe,” whined Jens. “Can’t someone else go?”

“No, this has taken too long already. We need to move fast, and I still need to rune you.” And with that, Robbe dragged Jens out the front door.

***

Awkwardly and silently, Jens and Lucas drove to Stadspark. Lucas sat stiffly in the passenger’s seat, wishing he could disappear, wishing he could have a do-over of their first meeting, wishing he were less awkward.

Jens, to his credit, kept his eyes on the road, and while he didn’t engage Lucas in conversation, he also didn’t say anything rude. After about 10 minutes, Jens pulled into a parking spot and stopped the car. They got out, and Jens rooted around in the back seat.

He finally broke their long silence with a loud, “Shit!”

Lucas jumped. “What?” he asked.

“We didn’t bring a sensor.”

Lucas whispered a drawn out, “Shiiiiiit.”

“It’s fine,” Jens said. “We’ll just do it old school. You know, smell…”

“You mean we’re about to sniff our way through this park? Talk about smelling the roses...” mumbled Lucas.

Jens actually laughed. “Maybe. Some Hocus Pocus shit. We'll be the Sanderson sisters.”

“What? By the Angel, you’re kidding?” Lucas said incredulously. “That’s hilarious!” And it was. Just visualizing him and Jens walking in step, feet overlapping, sniffing left and right, made him laugh out loud. 

Lucas’s laughter made Jens smile again, and they grinned ridiculously at each other for a few seconds. 

Jens pulled it together first, asking, “So, how do we want to do this? Should we split up or stick together? Do you want to work our way north?”

“Stick together, definitely, and I’d suggest we follow the screams,” Lucas said seriously, having just heard several shrieks.

Jens’s head shot up, and he could hear it too. There were voices, loud, shrill voices coming from the other side of the bridge. “Good plan. Let’s go.” And he took off at a run.

Lucas kept up with Jens easily, but he marveled at how graceful he was in motion. Jens’s long legs stretched out. His movements were fluid. Watching Jens run made Lucas feel like a drunk giraffe running beside a cheetah.

They crossed the bridge and ran down the path toward a copse of trees. There they saw two mundanes, who’d likely been having a secret romantic tryst, running out of the trees, screaming. 

Jens and Lucas passed them at a run. Lucas pulled out his seraph blade and dagger, calling out “Uriel,” and the runes lit up. Jens took the bow off his back and pulled an arrow from his quiver. 

They slowed as they reached the edge of the trees. Looking at one another, Jens twitched his head to the right, indicating where he would go. Lucas went left. Crouching, they moved under the canopy, keeping each other in sight and scanning as they went. 

Lucas saw the first Ravener demon. It was scampering down a tree trunk. As it spied Lucas, it leaped toward him. As it did so, another jumped off the branch of a neighboring tree, flying straight at Lucas. Pivoting, he slashed at the first demon with his sword, stopping it in mid-air, and then ran toward the tree. He leaped at the trunk, feet first. He pushed off, like a swimmer, propelling himself higher towards the second demon. He stabbed it with his dagger, and ichor splattered as it fell to the ground, disintegrating. 

Lucas’s momentum carried him to a thick branch. Landing in a crouch, he stabbed the tree with his blade to stop his forward motion. His eyes darted around the surrounding trees, looking for more demons. He saw two gnawing on something on a low branch of the neighboring tree and a third crawling up the trunk of a pine on the other side.

Making a quick decision, he took two throwing daggers out of his thigh holster, threw them at the pair chewing, and jumped to a lower branch. He ran across the branch, leaping to a thicker one as he drew nearer the pine. The demon had moved to a branch about ten feet to Lucas’s left. Lucas sheathed his weapons and exploded up, grabbing a branch with his hands. He then swung back and forth, building momentum, until he let go, performed a flip, and landed on the branch about five meters from the demon. He pulled out his weapons again, and avoiding the poisonous end, he dispatched it easily. Again, he looked around for more demons, and finding none, he jumped down. 

Lucas landed lightly on the ground, quickly lifting his head and weapons, ready just in case. He saw Jens about ten meters away watching him with a surprised look, mouth open, eyes wide. Lucas began to smile and then stopped as he saw the Ravener behind Jens. It was sneaking up on him from a low-hanging branch, poisonous barb hovering just above it’s ugly head. 

“Jens!” Lucas yelled, pointing. Jens turned, raising his bow, but the demon was too close. About a meter above Jens, it leaped, its barb reaching forward. Lucas yelled again and pulled one of the throwing knives out of his boot. Aiming as best he could, he flung it at the demon, hoping the knife would reach it before it landed on Jens. 

The small knife was just a second too late. The demon exploded as soon as the dagger struck it through the neck but not before it had landed tail first on Jens, who had fallen to the ground under the impact. 

Lucas ran toward Jens, keeping his eyes open for more demons. Kneeling down, he breathed, “Sorry, Jens. I’m so sorry. I should have been faster.”

“Not your fault, Lucas. I wasn’t paying attention. Here, help me up. We need to make sure there aren’t any more.”

Lucas grabbed under his elbow and helped pull him up. Together, they scanned the surrounding trees. Jens pulled out his witchlight and lifted it up. Nothing.

“Here, Jens. Let me give you an _iratze_ . Why don’t you keep a look out with your bow, and I’ll only need a few seconds.” Quickly, he pulled out his _stele_ and lifted up the hem of Jens’ shirt. Taking a brief second to appreciate the hard muscles underneath, Lucas found an empty spot and drew an _iratze_. Jens hissed briefly and then breathed more easily. Dropping the shirt, Lucas stood tall, looking around them for more demons. “See anything?” he asked.

“Nothing yet. Let’s stick together and just make sure there aren’t any more,” Jens suggested.

“Sure. I’ll look behind. You go first.”

They moved slowly through the trees, but they saw nothing suspicious. After looping the lake, they headed back to the car. Just as Lucas was about to open the door, he saw an arrow whiz by his ear. Turning to look, Lucas saw another arrow fly by, hitting a second Ravener between the eyes. Several more were crawling up behind.

“I knew six wasn’t enough,” said Jens. “These guys like to travel with friends. I’ll park here, and you see if you can find any trying to sneak off.”

Jogging toward their left flank, Lucas heard more than saw the arrows Jens shot at the demons. About 50 meters away he saw two demons crawling on a statue. When they spied him, they split up, one going left, the other right. Both were heading his way. Keeping an eye on the one on the left, he moved to the right, running straight at the demon. It was moving in a zigzag pattern. Just before he could reach it with his sword, it sprang up, landing behind him. Flinging his dagger hand back, he quickly turned, swinging the sword up in an arc. Just as the sword was about to connect with the demon, an arrow pierced its chest, and it collapsed. 

The second demon seemed to have lost its direction. It was scampering one way and then another, drawing no nearer to Lucas. When it saw Jens, though, it remembered its purpose and went on the attack. It ran straight for Jens, but before it got two meters, it had an arrow and a throwing knife embedded in its side.

Pulling out another arrow just in case, Jens called out, “Are you injured? Do you need an _iratze_ ? Are there anymore?”  
“No, No, and I don’t think so. Or at least I hope not,” Lucas replied. He walked to Jens. “The foul smell is gone, so that’s promising. How many did you kill?”

“Seven.”

“Ok, seven, plus these two, and the six in the trees. Fifteen is about average for Raveners, right?”

“Maybe,” shrugged Jens. “Let’s just patrol one more time around the park to make sure it’s clear.” 

“Sure.”

Together the tramped all over the park one more time, but there were no foul smells or random screaming. Tilting his head towards the car, Jens said, “Let’s go back to the car. I think we’re done here.” They walked back silently, each lost in their own thoughts.

At the car, Lucas asked, “How’s your injury? Let me check it out really quick.”

“Ah, it’s nothing. You don’t have to. I’m fine,” brushed off Jens.

“No, I want to look and see if you need another _iratze_ . Ravener venom is painful. C’mere.” Lucas moved behind Jens, reached out for the collar of his shirt, and pulled it down. Underneath he saw a festering red wound. “Ugh, Jens! This looks awful. Why didn’t you tell me? I’m going to give you another _iratze_.” Again, he lifted up the hem of Jens’s shirt and placed an _iratze_ over a very defined oblique muscle.

“It’s fine,” Jens hissed as Lucas drew on his skin. “I was trying to ignore it and figured I’d take care of it later.”

“Well, next time, just let me know. I don’t want you to be in pain.”

“Next time?”

“Well, yeah.” Lucas paused awkwardly, thought, and then added, “Well, yeah. If we’re going to go on patrols together and live in the same city, I can only imagine we’ll fight together again. Hopefully you won’t get hurt, but if it happens, don’t be afraid to ask for help.”

“You’d go on patrol with me again? Because I got the distinct impression that you didn’t want me to come tonight.”

Lucas had the grace to look sheepish. “I was…embarrassed, and I was pretty sure you thought I was an idiot. I have social anxiety. I usually rely on Sander to get me through parties, but with him so preoccupied with Robbe, I panicked. I don’t do well with strangers, and I hate large gatherings. Sorry. It had nothing to do with you.”

“I didn’t think you were an idiot,” Jens said softly. “I thought you were angry or just rude.”

“Yeah, well. That happens too. Again, sorry.”

Jens moved toward the car and then hesitating, he asked, “Why can you talk to me now? What’s different?”

Smiling, Lucas explained, “That’s because I’m in shadowhunter mode right now. I’m comfortable fighting demons. The party back there. That was me in panic mode. I get so nervous it feels like my skin is too tight. My voice becomes useless, and my limbs can’t decide between tensing up and shaking; so they try to do both.”

“Well, I’m glad that you’re able to talk to me in shadowhunter mode. You’re a good fighter. I was really impressed back there.”

“Impressed,” said Lucas, blushing a little. “I can’t even imagine.”

“Yeah, that demon snuck up on me because I couldn’t stop watching you. You’re beautiful when you fight.”

“B-b-b-eautiful? Not p-posible,” stammered Lucas, and his blush deepened. “You move like a panther. I feel like a lump next to you.”

“You may feel like a lump,” said Jens, “but you don’t look like one. Your movements are lightning fast, and it almost seemed like you could fly.”

“Wow. No one except Sander has ever really said nice things to me about my fighting.”

“Really? That surprises me.” He paused thinking. “Why don’t you meet me at the Institute tomorrow, and we can train together? I’ll prove to you how good you actually are. And, it’s not like we’ll be seeing our _Parabatai’s_ anytime soon,” joked Jens.

“True,” laughed Lucas. “I’d like that. Meet at 09:00?”

“Sure. Now let’s get going, so we can sleep.”

Lucas quickly turned away to hide the heat now creeping up his neck at the mention of _we_ and _sleep_ in the same sentence. 

***

Jens sat up quickly, breathing hard, eyes wide, but even so the image in his dream was still burned into his brain. Lucas leaping through the air, face determined, sword arcing down. Naked. _Naked! What the hell was that?_

He blinked his eyelids several times, trying to shake the dream off and wake up. Jens was confused. Why did he just dream about Lucas, a boy he was equally confused about. Without meaning to, Jens thought back to the attack at Stadspark. Lucas, flying through the air so gracefully, cutting down demons like they were nothing, landing alert with light grace, the moonlight kissing his curls just enough to make them dance with light. He was more than beautiful. He was stunning. 

Jens mentally smacked himself. He couldn’t believe he had allowed himself to get distracted during a fight because of a pretty face. Well, maybe not just a pretty face, a pretty everything. He’d never lost focus before, and he had a pretty nasty sting to pay for it. Part of the reason he didn’t want Lucas to heal it was to punish himself for getting distracted.

Jens was struggling to make sense of all his mixed emotions about this new boy. At first he was beautiful, then rude, then rude again, then business-like, then amazing, then kind. Jens just didn’t know how to feel about him, and it was making him antsy.

Looking at his phone, he saw that it was 07:00, probably a little too early to call Robbe and talk things down. Instead, he decided to go for a run. Maybe he could burn off all this energy with physical exercise. Then he could grab a coffee and a shower before meeting Lucas at the Institute. 

Jens approached the Institute with long strides, fisting his hands to keep them from shaking. _Why was he nervous? This is ridiculous. Training together was his idea._ Resolutely, he continued inside.

Lucas was already in the training room looking at the wall of weapons when Jens walked in. “Morning,” Jens called out.

Lucas turned, “Good morning. Heard from Robbe?”

“Nope,” grinned Jens, “though I’ll admit I haven’t tried to contact him. Heard from Sander?”

“Definitely not. I think he sent us out last night to get rid of us. He could have sent anyone. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him so single-mindedly focused on one person before. What is Robbe like, if you don’t mind my asking?”

“That’s a difficult question,” Jens responded, running his hands through his dark hair. “Robbe’s my _Parabatai_ , but he was my best friend first. We grew up together, running around the Institute and the different Enclave houses, and we went to the Academy together. He’s goofy and actually quite klutzy for a shadowhunter, but he’s an excellent fighter. He’s the kindest person I’ve ever met, and he’s been so much happier since he came out. Clearly, he likes Sander. What can you tell me about him, concerned party to concerned party?” Jens lifted his eyebrows and made a silly face.

Smiling, Lucas said, “Sander is Sander. He’s openly affectionate and unerringly loyal. He was really the first person in my life who tried to understand me, and he basically bugged me until we became best friends.” Lucas paused, a thoughtful look on his face. “He can be very intense when he likes something. He loves beautiful things. He takes photos of them. He draws them. He’s actually quite talented. He’s a really supportive and understanding friend. When I came out, his only response to me was, ‘Cool, now we can talk about boys.’ I rely on his steadiness and confidence so much.” 

Internally, Jens thought, _Wait. Lucas likes guys?_ Out loud, he said, “Well, I don’t have any objections. Sander sounds awesome, and I already know Robbe is great.”

“Yeah, this could get interesting,” added Lucas, wiggling his eyebrows. “You and I might be spending a lot more time together.”

Jens immediately thought back to his dream. His spine stiffened, and he turned to look at the weapons wall to hide the blush creeping up his cheeks. “Training!” burst out of his mouth. He paused. “We came to train. What would you like to do?” 

When he looked back at Lucas, he thought he saw a frown, but then Lucas schooled his face and said, “Sander is really good with the staff, and I’d really like to take him down next time. Maybe we could work on that.”

Trying to get him to smile, Jens said, “You’re already really good at throwing knives, and the sword and dagger. Thank you, by the way. I don’t think I’ve said anything yet, but really, thank you.” He tried to express his heartfelt thanks with his eyes, a genuine smile spreading across his face.

The corner of Lucas’s mouth raised, and he looked into Jens’s eyes. “You’re welcome, but honestly, you are great with the bow. I think you took out more demons than me.”

“Perhaps, but you were more impressive. Speaking of which, when we’re done with the staff, I’d like to video you flying through the air, or parkour-ing around. I want you to see it. It really is amazing. I’m about as good at it as any shadowhunter but nothing like you.”

Jens walked up to the wall and pulled two staffs off. Throwing one at Lucas, he walked to the middle of the room. Lucas followed. 

They faced one another, setting their stance. Jens lunged first, going for Lucas’s right shoulder, but Lucas was lightning fast and parried the blow, quickly shifting weight and sending the other end of the staff towards Jens’s legs. Jens jumped over it and pushed his staff hard against Lucas’s to force him back. Taking a few steps back, Jens regrouped. They circled each other a few times. Then Lucas lunged forward moving his staff so quickly Jens could only react in defense. He parried the blows but was forced back. Out of his peripheral vision, he saw the wall coming up, and he tried to turn and shift so that Lucas was near the wall. But Lucas was too fast. He caught on, and within three strokes, he forced Jens into the wall. 

Lucas’s staff was pushing against Jens’s, pressing into his chest. Lucas’s face was inches from Jens’s. He was breathing hard, mouth open, and sweat was gleaming on his brow and trickling down his temple. Jens stared at his mouth for a moment too long, eye catching on the mole just above his upper lip; then he let his gaze move up to Lucas’s eyes. They stared at each other for several seconds breathing hard. Jens could see an intensity in his blue eyes that hinted at a depth of character Jens could only imagine. 

Breaking eye contact, he pushed harder against Lucas’s staff, and said, “Sander is better than you? I struggle to visualize that.”

Backing away, Lucas responded, “Yes, it’s his favorite weapon. I’ve only ever seen a few people beat him. Jem Carstairs, for one. But it’s rare.”

“Well, you’ve gotten really good training with him then because this is definitely not my favorite weapon.”

“Do you want to try something else?”

“No, let’s keep this up for a bit, and then maybe we can move to swords afterwards.”

For the next twenty minutes, they moved back and forth across the training room, lunging and retreating, trying to get the upper hand. Jens found himself against the wall two more times and on the floor underneath Lucas once. That time Lucas’s face was so close he could smell the coffee on his breath and feel his leg pressing against Jens’s. Jens had to yield almost immediately in order to keep his composure. 

After Jens’s last visit to the wall, he suggested they move to swords. Jens grabbed his favorite sword, the two-handed long sword. Lucas grabbed his preferred dagger and short sword. They faced off again. Here, Jens was on firmer ground. He felt just as comfortable with the long sword as he did with the bow. It may look unwieldy and too large, but after years of practice Jens made it look easy.

Lucas and Jens moved across the floor, striking and thrusting, swords clanging and ringing in the large, nearly empty room. Both boys had enough control to not accidentally hit one another, and they moved as if they were dancing. Each had their own fighting style, but they were both equal to defending against it. 

Because the sword was heavier than the staff, Jens began to sweat profusely. He felt it trickling down his back. He saw that Lucas was also sweating and breathing heavily. Trying to catch Lucas when he wasn’t off balance, Jens suggested they take a break.

He collapsed on his back on the floor, and Lucas stretched out next to him. For the first minute, they both just looked at the ceiling, breathing heavily. Eventually, Jens turned his head to look at Lucas. He let his eyes roam the length of him, stopping where his hands were clasped on his stomach and watching his chest rise and fall.

When he finally lifted his eyes to Lucas’s face, he saw that Lucas had been watching him. Their eyes met, and Jens licked his lips and smiled. Lucas’s gaze dropped for a moment, caught on Jens’s mouth, and then lifted back up to his eyes.

“You’re really good with the sword,” Lucas said, breaking the tension. 

“I like it as much as the bow, but I don’t carry it around as much. It’s bulkier to manage when I’m not fighting.”

“I’d never guess that. You fling it around like it weighs nothing. Honestly, that sword is intimidating, and I could only hold my own because of the dagger. If I were fighting with only one weapon, this would have been a very uneven match.”

“Maybe. Is there anything you’re not good at?”

Lucas laughed. “Many things, actually. I’m crap at axes, whips, and anything that isn’t a traditional weapon. People, obviously. ” Thinking for a second, he added, “I also hate running.”

“You hate running? I already went for a run this morning. I love it. It helps me focus.”

Rolling his eyes, “First, I saw you run last night, and you make it look easy. And second, you already worked out this morning?!? What the hell? So all this time, we’ve been sparring, and I've barely been able to hold my own; and here you are already tired from a previous workout? Well, now I feel significantly less accomplished.”

Laughing, Jens reached over and shook his shoulder. “Nah, my run this morning didn’t make me tired. I actually decided I needed to burn off excess energy.”

“Yuck, I’d rather do that in other ways.” Realizing what he just said, Lucas looked up at the ceiling and blushed. “Y-you know, like t-training,” he stammered.

“Sure,” smiled Jens, his stomach fluttering a little. “Are you ready to go again? I think I’ve got another round in me, and then maybe I can relax while you jump around?” 

“Sure.”

They stood up and began sparring again, moving left and right, forward and back. Lucas would have the advantage, and then Jens would push him back. After about twenty minutes, Jens could tell Lucas was tiring. He pressed his advantage with the longer sword and maneuvered Lucas so that he would back into the wall.

In defense, Lucas crossed his blades as Jens’s sword landed between them. Now their roles were reversed. Lucas was pressed against the wall breathing heavily, and Jens was leaning into him against the swords. Jens panted for breath and locked eyes with Lucas. Something behind Lucas’s eyes softened for a moment, making them seem to glow. It was too intense. 

Jens had to look away and instead fixed his gaze on Lucas’s heaving chest. Lucas’s hands, pressed against his chest, were pulling his shirt down, revealing his collarbone. Jens couldn’t help staring. His collarbone could cut paper, sharp just like his cheekbones. It looked smooth and soft to the touch with a few freckles scattered about and a dark rune peeking out, curling up over his collarbone onto his neck. He moved his eyes further up, briefly stopping at his just lips as Lucas was licking them, which made Jens’s stomach flip. _By the Angel, Lucas was hot!_

Tearing his eyes away, he caught Lucas looking at his lips as well. He watched Lucas’s face as he purposefully licked his own lips. Lucas’s eyes darkened, his mouth opened, and his breath hitched momentarily. _Interesting_ , thought Jens. _Very Interesting._

Removing one hand from the sword, he poked Lucas in the side. “Do you yield?”

Lucas nodded and, giggling, shifted to the side away from Jens.

“Good, because I’m tired.” Jens stepped back and walked over to the weapons wall to return the sword. Lucas followed. Jens walked to the center of the room. “Ok, I’m going to sit here with my phone. I want you to use the columns, ceiling beams, and training scaffolding to show the camera how you are able to leap around and move in the air.” 

Lucas swallowed, looking nervous. Exchanging his bossy tone for something a little softer, Jens looked directly at Lucas, “I want you to see what you look like and understand why I said you were beautiful last night.”

The corner of Lucas’s mouth lifted. “I’m still not sure exactly what you want me to do.”

“Just bounce around in here. This isn’t training. I want you to have fun. You flew last night. I want to see you do it today.”

Lucas nodded and swallowed. He walked over to one of the corners and then picking up the pace, ran straight for the west column and leaped, striking it with his feet. Pushing off he reached for the scaffolding bar above him. Grasping it, he swung until he pulled his legs forward, up, and over, stomach on the bar. Lifting a foot and placing it on the bar, he balanced while placing the other foot on the bar. From there he jumped to the next scaffolding bar and repeated the process, occasionally just swinging around like a monkey. Eventually, he climbed so high, Jens could barely see him in the dark rafters. Calling up to him, he yelled, “How am I supposed to film you jumping around if you’re hiding in the rafters? Get back down here!”

He heard the echo of Lucas’s laugh and saw him start to make his way down. As he got closer, Lucas moved from the scaffolding to the wooden beams. He ran across them, jumped from one to another, and then running up to a column, he took two steps up the side and then flipped over, landing on the beam.

Jens’s heart caught in his throat. Lucas was still so high and that beam was narrow. “Hey,” he called up, “I said fly and show off, not kill yourself!”

Again he heard the giggle. Lucas moved from beam to beam until he came to the far wall. There he dropped lightly to the floor from about ten meters up, and immediately took off, placing his right foot on a storage bin, then his left on a box of weapons. Both feet hit the wall, and he propelled himself up again, fully stretched out. He grabbed a bar, swung up and over the bar, and then letting go, performed a double somersault, landing at Jens’s feet. 

“I feel like I’ve been punk’d,” Jens cried out in amazement. “Who are you?”

“Ok, I might have taken more gymnastics than your average shadowhunter.”

Jens laughed. “And you’re telling me no one complimented you for that? I can’t believe it.”

“Well, I was trained at home, so no one really thought anything of it until Sander showed up. He was the first person to notice my acrobatics.”

Jens's heart contracted a little, wondering how someone so amazing could have been overlooked. He made sure Lucas was looking at him. “And now you have two,” he said with a grin. "I'm super impressed."

Lucas’s face lit up. “Aw, thanks. Did you get your video?”

“About that... I was too busy watching you. I forgot to record it. Could you do that last bit again?”

Rolling his eyes, Lucas said, “Sure,” and he took off, climbing and swinging around the training room like a monkey. 

Jens remembered to record him this time, but mostly he just watched slack-jawed. In the end he had four good videos. He called for Lucas, and Lucas landed right next to him.

“Ok, take a break, monkey-boy.”

“Is that my new nickname? Do you think you could come up with something that sounds a little less like a toddler? I mean, I think my mom called me a monkey when I was little.”

“The Amazing Flying Moron,” Jens suggested with a lifted eyebrow and a wry grin. 

“Let’s keep working on it, shall we?" Lucas rolled his eyes. "Did you get any good videos?"

“Yeah, come sit down and have a look.” Lucas sat next to him, their knees touching and shoulders leaning into one another. Jens turned on his phone screen and unlocked his phone.

“Who’s that?” Lucas asked.

Looking at his phone, he saw the picture Robbe had taken of him and Jana at a party last year. He hadn’t gotten around to changing his lock screen. “Oh, that’s me and my ex.”

“Your ex? If she’s still on your phone, how long ago did you break up?”

“Oh, I don't know, like 6 months ago maybe. We’re still friends, and I’m lazy; so I haven’t changed the picture.”

“6 months, well, still, I’m sorry.”

“Why?” Jens asked, perplexed. 

“Because you broke up.”

“Oh, that. Nah, it was mutual. We’re better as friends. No worries.”

Leaning in closer, Jens brought up the video and turned his head towards Lucas. Lucas was looking at him, and his face was milllimeters away. They looked into each other’s eyes. Jens considered leaning in more; their lips were so close. Lucas’s eyes dropped to his lips, and it looked like he was getting closer.

And then, Lucas was standing. “Sorry, Jens. I just saw the time when you pulled out your phone. I have to go. Can you send me the videos instead? I’ll watch them later.” Lucas was already halfway to the door when he called out, “Thanks for the training session. I had fun!”

As he watched Lucas leave, Jens couldn’t move. _Wait, what? What the hell was that? I could have sworn we were going to kiss. What the hell happened?_ Jens fell back on the floor and sighed, looking at the mosaics on the walls for help. They offered nothing. 

Lucas was amazing. And he was gay. And he was not interested in Jens. Jens, however, was very attracted to him. Lucas had officially gone from being a rude, pretty boy to being a gorgeous, multi-talented, and intriguing shadowhunter. Jens was screwed. What now?

***

Lucas took the long way home. _Jens. Jens. Jens._ He couldn’t get Jens’s eyes, Jens’s lips, Jens’s voice out of his head. Jens in motion. Jens breathless. Jens sweaty. Jens complimenting him. Jens. Everything Jens. That training session was the sexiest thing Lucas had ever experienced. 

And Jens liked girls. Lucas had almost kissed him. He’d wanted to kiss him. He’d been drawn to him, but he had realized what he was doing and stopped. _What would Jens think if he’d done it? What does Jens think now as it is? Oh God. Why?_

Lucas ruminated the whole way home, walking quickly to help keep his mind occupied, but purposefully taking wrong turns to stay out longer. 

When he finally reached the Drieson’s house, he let himself in and went straight to his bedroom. Stripping down, he walked into the bathroom for a cold shower.

A week later, Lucas lay on his bed, thinking about Jens. Again. He’d never seen the videos Jens had taken because they'd never exchanged phone numbers, and he wasn’t about to ask Robbe. Instead, he just avoided being anywhere Jens might show up, which meant he was usually alone. Sander meant Robbe, and Robbe meant Jens. And Jens meant physical torture and mental anguish. 

He needed a distraction.

Wednesday, 12:34

Lucas: Sander? Where are you? I’m bored. 

Sander: At Robbe’s. 😏

Lucas: You would be. What are you doing later?

Sander: Making out.

Lucas: 🤮

Sander: What did you expect?

Lucas: A modicum of self control. 

Sander: Not my style. Did I tell you we’re getting married?

Lucas: WHAT?!?

Sander: ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Lucas: …

Sander: Ok, ok. I mean, eventually. We haven’t discussed it or anything. I just know. I’m going to marry him.

Lucas: Ok, Sander ok. A future wedding I can work with. Maybe wait at least another week before you tell him. Or ask him. Or whatever. 

Lucas: Back to business. Later today? Parabatai? Lonely...new city? 

Sander: Now you’re making me feel guilty.

Lucas: That’s the plan.

Sander: How about we meet up for dinner. I’ll ask Robbe to invite Jens.

Lucas: NO! 

Lucas: Sorry, please, no.

Sander: There’s no getting around it. The second I mention meeting you for dinner, Robbe is going to invite Jens. You know how it works. Seriously, I thought you guys figured yourselves out last week?

Lucas: That went fine. I would just prefer to not see Jens today.

Sander: Well, I’m not leaving Robbe. So would you rather be alone, third wheel a make-out session, or meet us for dinner with Jens?

Lucas: I’ll take door number three, asshole...

Sander: I’ll text you the details later. 🙄

Lucas tried to look confident as he walked into the restaurant, but he knew he failed. He spotted Sander, hair lighting up the room, in the back corner. He had Robbe tucked in beside him on the bench, and Jens was sitting across from them in a chair. 

Lucas walked over, and pulled the chair next to Jens out, sitting in it as far from Jens as he could.

“Hey,” he said.

They all exchanged hellos, and Lucas picked up the menu and stared at it blankly. The conversation continued around him, but he couldn’t focus on it or the menu. He was too tense, too wound up, too focused on Jens. He could see Jens out of the corner of his eye, looking beautiful and perfect, dressed casually in a red hoodie and jeans. Jens was gesticulating with his hands, telling some story about killing demons and laughing. 

By the time the server, a pretty Piskie with pink hair, showed up, Lucas still hadn’t really looked at the menu. Desperately, he pointed to something at random and gave the menu to the server. He looked up for the first time and caught Sander’s eye. Sander was giving him a questioning look. Lucas just shrugged in response. 

He tried to enter the conversation, but he was so nervous around Jens he felt tongue-tied. Whenever he was asked a question or tried to comment, his responses were monosyllabic. He avoided looking at Jens, and Sander kept giving him funny looks. Robbe, for his part, completely ignored Lucas’s awkwardness and talked naturally, trying to include him in the conversation without pushing too much. Jens seemed to take a cue from Lucas’s behavior and ignored Lucas as well.

Overall, the dinner was going terribly, and then the food arrived. When the Piskie placed the plate in front of him, he had to look up at her and ask, “What is this?” 

“It’s what you ordered. Escargot and a salad.” 

“Oh, right. Thanks.” Lucas stared down at his food, stomach roiling in both hunger and concern. He’d never had snails before, and today wasn’t the right day for trying something new. Imagine barfing on Jens. Nope, no snails! He lifted his gaze to Sander, who was already cutting into his meat. He caught Sander’s eye and looked pleadingly at him. 

Sander took pity on him and asked, “Hey Lucas, can I trade some of my steak for some of your snails?”

Relieved, Lucas said, “Sure,” and passed over most of his escargot, giving Sander a grateful look. _Thank the Angel that Sander eats everything!_

Lucas ate the steak and salad and started toying with the snails.

“Don’t you like them? You ordered them.”

Jens’s voice. Jens asked that question. His voice was like haunting music, beautiful yet terrifying. Lucas stiffened and grabbed the edge of the table. “I...I must have pointed to the wrong thing. I’ve never had snails before.”

“You should try them. They’re not bad. The texture is interesting, kind of like sand or dirt, which I guess makes sense since it is a snail, but enough butter can make anything taste good.”

“No.”

“C’mon. You’ll never know unless you try it.”

“NO!” he said, raising his voice. “I said no!”

“Ok, sorry.” Jens turned back to his food and then tried again, “Do you want some of my fries?”

Not even looking up, Lucas mumbled, “No.”

“Wow, Jens giving up fries. He must be ill,” joked Robbe. Robbe then went on to explain their _Vettige Vrijdag_ tradition. Jens didn’t look up, and neither did Lucas. “You should come with us this Friday. It’ll be fun.”

There was silence, and then Lucas realized the statement was aimed at him. He looked at Robbe and “NO!” burst out of his mouth again. Realizing that was a bit abrupt, he added, “I don’t really like greasy food.” He looked briefly at Jens and saw him lick some stray sauce from his lower lip. Lucas’s whole body tensed. His stomach erupted into a dance and warmth started to pool in his lower belly. Trying to cope with all the physical sensation, the hand that had been on the table clenched until his knuckles turned white. He closed his eyes and took a breath. As he collected himself, he felt something touch his leg. Jens’s knee had pressed against his. Lucas flinched and wrenched his leg away, an appalled look on his face. Jens’s touch was a cocktail of torture, shock, and extreme delight.

“That’s it!”

Everybody looked up. Jens had stood up. “I thought we were past this shit. Seriously, you’re giving me whiplash. I thought we were over the rudeness, but apparently not. I understood last time, but this time? I just...I...I’ve got to go. I’ll see you all later. Robbe, I’ll pay you back tomorrow.” And he strode out the door.

The table was quiet for a moment; then Robbe stood up quickly and said, “I’m going to go check on him. I’ll be back,” and with a quick peck on Sander’s lips, he was gone.

Everything was silent for about 10 seconds, long enough for Robbe to leave the restaurant, and then with no ceremony, Sander asked, “What the hell just happened? What is going on with you two? Why are you both acting so weird? And why are you being so shitty? As Jens pointed out, this is different. I'd be empathetic and supportive if I thought this had to do with your anxiety, but I don't think it does. I need you to get along with Jens. Please," he begged. "He’s part of Robbe, and you’re part of me. We have to figure this out because I need you, and I really want Robbe.”

Lucas let his head fall into his hands. “I don’t know, Sander. Everything is a mess. Robbe’s great. I really like him, but I can’t seem to function properly around Jens. My brain shuts down.”

“There’s something weird going on between you two. What happened last week?”

Lucas rubbed his palms up and down on his face, groaning. “I can’t talk about it.”

“Yes, you can. You’re going to have to get along with Jens. Now spill.”

“I almost kissed him!” Lucas blurted out.

“WHAT?”

“I almost kissed him.” Lucas hurriedly added, “but he likes girls. We were getting along great. Fighting the demons together was fun, and we met for training the next morning. I must have read the situation wrong because I thought he might be into me. Then I saw the picture of his ex-girlfriend on his phone, and I panicked. They broke up six months ago. SIX months, and he still has a picture of them as his lock screen. That has to mean he’s not over her, and it definitely means he likes girls.”

Sander gave him a sympathetic look. “C’mon, man. You don’t know that any of those things are true. He could be too lazy to change the picture. They could still be friends. He may lack a special someone worth replacing the photo, or he may not have any other good pictures. And, just because you know he likes girls doesn’t mean he can’t also like boys. Look at me. I’ve dated both.”

“Well, you also date faeries and werewolves.”

“Dated. Past tense. From now on it’s just Robbe. And maybe, but that’s not the point. The point is you don’t know because you haven’t asked. Maybe you didn’t read the situation incorrectly, and now he’s all confused because you rejected him.”

Lucas blanched.

“Lucas,” Sander said quietly, looking straight at him. “I’m going to drop this as soon as I’m done, but I want to give you some advice. Talk to him. Don’t avoid him. Don’t assume for him. Don’t make choices for him. Talk to him. I could practically see electricity moving between the two of you tonight. What kind of energy, I don’t know, but there was a lot of tension. Talk to him. That’s all you can do. Ok, rant over. Where is my boyfriend?” he asked, looking around.

“Let’s just go, and you can text him outside. I’ll pay.”

***

Jens’s eyes were shiny from confusion, anger, and hurt. He had to leave. He couldn’t believe he made such a scene, but he couldn’t sit there anymore with Lucas ignoring him and being rude. He just couldn’t. 

_This is ridiculous! I barely know him. Why should it matter that he’s ignoring me? That he didn’t want to kiss me? That he couldn’t even bear me touching him? Why do I care so much?_

Hands shoved deep in his pockets, Jens strode down the block, and just as he was turning the corner, he heard, “Wait. Jens, wait!”

Robbe. Of course his _Parabatai_ wanted to check on him. Even if they weren’t connected by an ancient ceremony of brotherhood, Robbe’s general kindness would insist on making sure he was ok. 

Jens stopped, turned, and started pacing, looking down at the dirty street. He blinked several times, trying to get any evidence of moisture out of his eyes before Robbe reached him. 

“Hey, you ok?” asked Robbe. “What was that in there? What is going on with you two?”

Still pacing, he said, “Not really. I don’t know, and I don’t know. Honestly, when it comes to Lucas, I don’t understand a damn thing.”

“Here, let’s run off some of that energy. I’ll race you to the park,” and he was off. Taken by surprise, it took Jens five seconds to launch himself after Robbe. Leave it to Robbe to know exactly what he needed. He knew Jens was too wound up to talk, and running was how he coped with his problems. 

Jens raced after Robbe, taking several blocks to catch up with him. His legs might be shorter than Jens’s, but he was a shadowhunter and had years of experience keeping up with Jens. Jens eventually passed him and then sprinted the last 400 meters or so. By the time he got to the park, his legs were screaming, and his chest was on fire. Exactly the feeling he was going for. He found a patch of grass and flopped down on his back, letting his breath slow gradually. 

Less than a minute later, Robbe dropped down beside him, breathing heavily. “You know, there are times I wish I didn’t have a _Parabatai_ who needed to run to think, or not think, as the case may be,” gasped Robbe between breaths. Jens just smiled. 

They lay in companionable silence for several minutes, staring up at the stars peeking out from between the clouds. Eventually, Robbe broke the ice, saying, “I didn’t know you liked guys too.”

“Is it that obvious?”

“Maybe. Maybe not. I just know you. Sander and Lucas may have no idea.”

“Lucas has me so wound up and confused I can’t think straight. One second he’s an absolute ass, and the next second he’s saving me from demons and insisting on giving me _iratzes_. Then we’re training together, maybe flirting. I don’t know. We almost kiss, and then he runs away. The next time I see him, he ignores me and acts all weird. I know he was avoiding me this week. It’s just been a lot of hot and cold, and I don’t know what to think anymore. All I know is that shadowhunter Lucas is amazing, and I can’t stop thinking about him. But, is that the real Lucas? Or is the real Lucas the guy who showed up tonight?” Jens groaned and brought his hands to his face, rubbing them up and down over his eyes. “I just don’t know what to think, and if it’s going to be like this, I don’t know if it’s worth it anyway.”

Robbe didn’t respond immediately. Jens could tell he was thinking, and he knew Robbe, being Robbe, was trying to find the best thing to say. It’s one of the things he liked most about his _Parabatai_ , his thoughtfulness. 

Eventually, Robbe said, “Love is always worth it. Always. Even if it doesn’t last. Do you think people who lose their spouses regret having loved them in the first place? Do you regret Jana?”

“What about abusive relationships?” Jens asked peevishly.

“Is that really love, though? I’m not talking about lust, infatuation, or the desire for control or power. I mean a consensual love between equals, but you have a point. You don’t know which direction this could lead if anything comes of it. I think you have to ask yourself whether the outcome you hope for is worth pursuing. Maybe Lucas really is a dick, and he’s not good enough for you. I only know him through Sander, who is definitely biased, but then again, if Sander is who I believe he is, would he have chosen such an awful person for a _Parabatai_? I would bet there’s something else going on here. The question is what, or maybe why.”

“If I could have the Lucas I almost kissed, I’d be all about pursuing this. Or maybe I just think he’s hot. What if it’s that? What if I’m just super shallow, and I’m trying to ignore his shitty personality because he’s so hot? I’m a cliche!” he groaned, fisting his hands into his eyes, rolling side to side, knees flopping everywhere.

“Jens. Jens. Come on!” said Robbe, grabbing at Jens’s flailing limbs. “Pull it together. Was it Sander’s stunning personality that had me standing there staring at him slack-jawed at that party? No. I thought he was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen. I was attracted to him, and that attraction led to us getting to know each other better, which led to us wanting to get to know each other even more. You see how it works? We’re still in the getting to know you phase, but we wouldn’t even be in this phase if we weren’t attracted to one another. That doesn’t make you shallow!”

“Ok, fine, but maybe my thinking he was so hot made me believe that he was into me, and I was just imagining things. You know, like a schoolgirl who thinks that just because a boy smiled at her in the hallway, he likes her, and she creates this entire fantasy based on one smile. I’m the girl. Ugh, I’m that girl,” he whined.

“Jens,” Robbe sighed, “my body already hates you, but do we need to go for another run? You’re beginning to spiral.” 

“No, no. I’m fine,” Jens said, putting his arms at his sides and looking straight up.

“Good. You realize speculating will get us nowhere. You’re going to have to talk to him. A real talk. Honesty. That’s the only way to really handle this.”

“He’s been avoiding me.”

“You’ll just have to figure something out. Things can’t stay this way. You two have to come to some kind of truce because, and I know it’s only been a week, I think Sander is here to stay. It would be awful for all four of us if you two didn’t get along. I want you to try to figure it out for you. Because I want you to be happy. But I also want you to figure it out for me. Because I don’t want my happiness to hurt you," Robbe said, looking at Jens with genuine affection. Then, he sat up and said, "It’s getting late, and I’m sure Sander is wondering what happened to me.”

Robbe stood up and reached out a hand to Jens. Jens clasped it, and Robbe helped pull him up. Looking at his phone, Robbe said, “Yeah, I have four texts from Sander. They left the restaurant. Lucas paid. Hmmmm.” Robbe typed a response quickly. “You know, I could ask Sander for Lucas’s number. You could reach out that way and see how it goes.”

“Yeah, let’s do that,” Jens answered. “I need to share some videos with him anyway from our training session. That should at least give me a reason.”

“Ok, good. We have a plan. Now I need to go find my worried boyfriend,” Robbe said with a grin, walking back towards the street.

“And Robbe,” Jens interjected, stopping him, “Thank you for not making a big deal out of it. You know, Lucas being a guy.”

“You were super chill when it was my turn. I just want you to be happy. And, you’re welcome,” Robbe said, clapping him on the back. “Let’s go get our boys!”

***

Thursday, 09:12

Lucas: Hey, it’s Lucas. Sander gave me your number.

Lucas: I’m sorry about last night. 

Lucas: For being an ass.

After ten minutes, Lucas gave up hoping that Jens would respond right away. _Serves me right. If he never talks to me again, I’d deserve it._

Instead of staring at his phone, he put on some music, grabbed his sketchbook and pencils, and sat on the bed. He sketched lazily for awhile, humming along to the music, and as he kept going a recognizable image started to form. Lucas realized he was drawing Jens the moment before he was attacked by the Ravener demon. Jens’s face contained a look of awe, mouth open, eyes wide, and the demon hovered just over his shoulder. As Lucas continued, he added himself in the foreground, staring up at Jens in horror, reaching for a throwing knife. 

Overall, Lucas was pleased with his work. Looking at his phone, he realized three hours had passed, and the album he’d chosen was repeating again. 

He put down the sketchbook, stood up, and stretched, reaching his hands high, leaning right and then left. He rolled his shoulders and performed a few squats to release the stiffness. As he was changing to head to the training room, Lucas heard a ding. _Jens?_ His heart rate sped up, and his arms and face started to tingle in the mixed anxiety of hope and fear.

Jens: Thanks for apologizing.

Dejectedly, Lucas threw his phone on the floor and fell backwards on the bed, hands covering his face. He groaned in frustration. Jens had accepted the olive branch, but he wasn’t reciprocating. Oh well. Lucas rolled to his side, curling into a ball, completely forgetting about training. He lay there another five minutes, staring blankly at the wall, when he heard another ding. Rolling the other way, Lucas fell off the bed, landing on his hands and knees. He grabbed for the phone and checked his notifications. Jens!

Jens: Hey, here are the videos from last week. You never got to see them.

Jens: IMG_1776.MOV

Jens: IMG_1777.MOV

Jens: IMG_1778.MOV

Jens: IMG_1800.MOV

Lucas: Thanks. I’ll look at them now.

Lucas opened the videos one by one and watched himself. He couldn’t help smiling. He did kind of look like a monkey-boy. _I do make it look effortless. Who knew?_

Lucas: I think I’m part monkey, you’re right.

Jens: Do you believe me now?

Lucas: Believe you? That I’m a monkey?

Jens: No, that you’re beautiful when you fly.

Lucas: Oh. I don’t know that beautiful is the most accurate adjective. 

Lucas: Maybe sprightly or agile, and I don’t fly. I just fall gracefully with style.

Jens: Those are fancy words. I prefer beautiful, and I mean it. 

Lucas paused, not knowing what to say next. Are they back to flirting? Does Jens want to talk to him? Should he just give up while he’s ahead? While he was contemplating, Jens decided for him and messaged again.

Jens: What are you up to?

Lucas: I was drawing, but I got so stiff I was about to head to the training room.

Jens: You draw? I thought that was Sander’s thing.

Lucas: It's our thing. We initially bonded over art.

Lucas: We used to have competitions. Who could sketch something the fastest. Who could capture the lighting best. Who could paint using the least number of colors. Who could draw the most demons by memory. 

Lucas: That kind of nonsense. I have sketchbooks full of them.

Lucas: It’s how Sander was able to peel me out of my shell.

Jens: Can I see what you were drawing, or is it too personal of a question?

Lucas thought for a minute. He liked the drawing, and while Jens was the subject, there was nothing incriminating about it. Lucas hadn’t drawn his feelings.

Lucas: Sure. You’ll actually recognize the subject. 

Lucas: 2215.JPEG

Jens: Wow! That’s really good. You’re really good.

Lucas: Thanks

Lucas: Jens...

Jens: Yes

Lucas: I really am sorry. I wasn’t handling the situation well.

Jens: Why? What was the problem?

Lucas: I don’t want to talk about it right now but maybe later. Maybe.

Jens: Ok

Jens: Hey, you said you were about to go train. I have to go anyway. I’ll talk to you later. 

Lucas: Ok, sure. Thanks.

Lucas dropped his phone, stood up, and started jumping up and down, shaking his hands quickly. His nerves were hitting him all at once, after the fact. His skin felt like it was trying to crawl away, and his body wouldn’t stop moving. 

Maybe training wasn’t such a bad idea after all. Lucas finished getting ready and headed to the Institute, leaving his phone behind to charge, and if he was honest with himself, to keep himself from obsessively rereading the conversation and staring at the phone, hoping for another message. 

When he returned, he saw that he had a message from Jens. Lucas’s stomach flipped, and the butterflies awoke with a vengeance. 

Jens: How was training?

Lucas texted back, and he and Jens messaged each other long into the night, talking about everything and nothing. Lucas told him about growing up in the Utrecht Institute, and Jens told him stories about him and Robbe as kids. They compared patrols, demon fights, friends, trips to Alicante, everything. Almost anything, that is. They blatantly avoided any and all subjects that led to relationships. The both seemed to agree silently that the topic was forbidden.

Lucas couldn’t believe Jens wasn’t bored and kept writing and asking questions. Before they both fell asleep, they had agreed to meet the next day for coffee but hadn't gotten around to fixing a time.

***

Lucas was so much easier to talk to via chat. Jens wished he’d thought of it sooner. Most people he’s noticed prefer texting to actual phone calls. Someone shy like Lucas would definitely be more comfortable with this type of communication. It made Jens worry that their coffee date was too soon. _Date? Is it a date? Or just coffee? Will he be nice to me today? Maybe we should spend more time getting to know one another over text._

Jens texted Lucas when he woke up, but he didn’t get a response. Since coffee is normally drunk in the morning for obvious reasons, he decided to just head over to Lucas’s. He sent a text saying that he was leaving and another when he arrived. 

He waited for Lucas’s response, but again, he got nothing. Was Lucas still sleeping at 10am? Was Jens anticipating it so much that he came too early? Was Lucas ghosting him?

Taking a deep breath and releasing it slowly, Jens decided to knock on the door. An older woman opened the door, and Jens asked, “Is Lucas here? We’re meeting for coffee.”

The woman nodded. “Come in. He’s upstairs in his room. Third door on the left.”

Jens thanked her and walked up the steps. He saw that the third door was open and decided to knock a few times before walking in. When he did, he stopped dead in his tracks.

Lucas was sitting propped up on his bed, sketching. He was wearing jeans and a green and white short-sleeve, button-down, and it was unbuttoned. Completely. Jens couldn’t tear his eyes away from Lucas’s chest and stomach. Even relaxed, there was definition in his muscles. For such a slight guy, he was strong. 

“Oh, hey, Jens!” Lucas called out. 

Jens swallowed and jumped a little as he pulled his eyes off of Lucas’s skin. “I texted you,” he managed to say.

“Oh,” Lucas said as he reached down for the phone at his side. “Shit, sorry. I often lose track of time when I’m sketching, and I somehow put my phone on silent, though I don’t remember doing that.”

“Are you ready for coffee?”

“Yes. A profound yes!”

“Good, let’s go,” said Jens, and Lucas bounced off the bed, heading for the door. Jens stopped him with a hand to the chest. His fingers felt warm where they touched Lucas’s skin. Eyeing Lucas’s chest, Jens gave a suggestive look and said, “Hey, aren’t you forgetting something?”

“Oh, shit, right,” and Lucas started buttoning up his shirt. Jens could see a little red creeping up Lucas’s neck, and he also realized his own face felt warm. He decided his best option was to wait in the hallway.

“So where are we going?” asked Lucas when he emerged from the bedroom. 

“The Puca Koffiehuis. It’s the best coffee house in Downworld, and it happens to be run by my friend, Lavina. Everything is good, and I know because I’ve tried everything.”

“So, you're a big coffee drinker then?” Lucas queried.

“Yes and no. I mean, I like coffee. Really, though, it’s Robbe who is the coffee person. He needs to have his coffee. I’ve acquired an appreciation for it after so many years of aiding and abetting Robbe’s addiction,” Jens answered, smiling down at Lucas. 

Lucas laughed. “I see. Let’s go.”

It took nearly twenty minutes to walk to the Puca Koffiehuis from the Drieson’s home. By the time they arrived, Jens had already convinced Lucas to try the house special. “It’s amazing. You won’t regret it.”

They ordered and sat down at a table in the corner. They chatted and talked long into the afternoon, laughing, teasing, and occasionally flirting. Around 3pm, Jens couldn’t help overhearing Lucas’s stomach rumble with hunger.

“Hungry,” he asked.

Lucas nodded.

“Hey, it’s Friday! I know you said you don’t like greasy food, but if you want, I know the best place to get fries, and if you haven’t tried Belgian fries, I’ll have to insist you come with me.”

Lucas had the decency to look sheepish. “Actually,” he said, “I love fries and greasy food. I was just…” he trailed off.

“You were just?” Jens suggested, raising his eyebrows and moving his hand forward in a circular motion.

Lucas swallowed. “I was just trying to avoid you.” He hung his head, looking down at his shoes.

“Lucas, I still don’t understand,” Jens said quietly, eyes softening as he gazed at the top of Lucas’s head. “You said you weren’t ready yesterday to tell me why you were panicking at dinner, and now you’re saying you wanted to avoid me. Are you going to explain?”

Lucas lifted his face, eyes looking pleadingly into Jens’s. “Not yet, Jens. I’m...I’m not ready to talk about it. I need more time to pull it together. All I’ll say for now is that you’ve done nothing wrong. You’ve been great. Really great. And if you’re still willing, I’d love to join _Vettige Vrijdag_. Will Robbe be jealous?”

Jens laughed. “Robbe jealous?” He couldn’t stop laughing. He brought his hand to his chest and the other to the table, bracing himself. “I’m pretty sure he doesn’t remember I exist right now. Well, that’s not fair. He’s still been a great friend recently, but he’s also been preoccupied. Robbe would probably be grateful so that he doesn’t feel guilty for abandoning me.” 

Lucas grinned at him. “Yeah, that sounds familiar. We ended up having that terrible dinner because I guilted Sander into hanging out with me. Clearly karma bit me in the ass because it was disastrous.”

“I wouldn’t say disastrous,” Jens chimed in, looking at Lucas sideways with a wry smile. “That’s a bit harsh. Horrible. Bad. Very bad. Awful. Definitely terrible --”

“Ok, ok,” Lucas interjected. “I get the idea. What is it with you and disliking my adjectives?”

“Seriously, though,” Jens said with a firmer tone. “It wasn’t a complete failure because here we are. We were able to get past it, so we’ve got that going for us.”

“True. That is a positive outcome,” Lucas agreed, smiling at the floor.

“Lucas?” Jens asked. Lucas looked up at him, eyebrows raised, bottom lip caught between his teeth. “Was this coffee date a date-date? Or just a coffee date? I’m asking for a friend.”

“Well, I think you can tell your friend that it depends on whether he wants it to be a date-date or just a hang out,” Lucas said, releasing his bottom lip and stepping slightly closer to Jens. 

‘Um, I’m up for a date-date if you are,” whispered Jens, his voice a little wobbly, his heart expanding.

Lucas’s face lit up, and the slight smile he’d had all day, widened into a face-altering, broad grin. “I’d like that. Fries?” 

Visibly relieved, Jens answered with a matching idiotic grin, “Definitely. Let’s go.”

***

“Mmmmmm. These are so good. I regret everything I said at dinner. Where have you been all my life?” Lucas practically moaned while pulling another fry out of the paper cone. 

“Antwerp, duh,” deadpanned Jens.

“I was talking to my fries. Leave me alone,” Lucas said, turning away from Jens and protecting his fries. “We’re having an intimate moment. Don’t interrupt!”

Jens smirked, and his eyes lit up with mischief. Reaching his right hand around Lucas, he pretended to steal a fry while his left hand quickly reached around the other side and grabbed one from the cone while Lucas was fending off his right. Jens quickly put the stolen fry in his mouth and backed away in case Lucas pulled out any fancy moves.

“Thief!” accused Lucas, as he turned back to Jens. “If you wanted to hug me, you needn’t have stolen a fry. I’m bereft.”

“I’m sure I could find a much more interesting way to hug you if I wanted to,” Jens said, waggling his eyebrows and opening his arms wide. 

Just as Lucas was going to make a snarky reply, Jens’s phone started ringing. “Well, damn,” he said. “That’s my alarm to remind me that I have patrol tonight. I’m going to have to go.”

Looking disappointed, Lucas said, “I didn’t know you were on the schedule tonight.”

“Yeah, I switched with Robbe because he wanted to go somewhere with Sander tonight. When are you scheduled?”

“I’m not yet, actually. I’ve hung around the Institute a few times, but they haven’t yet added me to the patrolling schedule. So my life is my own for the time being.”

“I’m not sure who I’m patrolling with, but would you want to come with me? Get to know Antwerp a little better before it’s your turn?” Jens asked hesitantly.

Lucas thought for a moment, “Sure, why not?”

After going back to the Drieson’s to change, Lucas walked quickly to meet Jens at the Institute. Jens was sitting on the stairs of the Sanctuary twirling his long sword on the tip, waiting for him. Looking up, he smiled at Lucas. Lucas couldn’t help thinking that the dark gear accentuated his dark features, making his lips stand out that little bit more with a pop of color. His eyes were dark as well, but Lucas could see the light that danced within them, giving them a brightness that contrasted with his dark clothes and features. He looked good in gear.

When Lucas was practically upon him, he stood up, and Lucas was almost dizzy with the realization that Jens was so much taller than him. They’d been this close before, but fighting stances don’t lend themselves to straight spines and good posture. Lucas was surprised that he had to look up at Jens to say, “Hey.”

“Hey,” Jens said softly, looking down at him. “Let’s go inside and grab some weapons and put on some runes first. I don’t want to be unprepared like last time.”

“Good plan,” agreed Lucas.

In the weapons room, Lucas put several throwing knives in his boot and grabbed a few extra seraph blades for his belt. His personal sword and dagger were already strapped to his back. Jens added a few extra knives to the belt around his thigh and a collapsible bow for his hip, the quiver already underneath the long sword in a scabbard on his back.

Before leaving, Jens also grabbed a sensor. “Don’t want to look stupid this time around,” he said wryly. Lucas just grinned back. 

Stopping at a set of chairs in the Sanctuary, they drew runes on each other. Lucas pushed the sword slightly out of the way and tried not to focus too much on the cord of muscles traveling up Jens’s spine as he added sure-footed and speed runes to his lower back. They rippled underneath his stele, undulating as Jens reacted to the burn of the rune. “Stop moving,” Lucas said gently. 

“I can’t,” said Jens. “You’re tickling me.”

“Is that so? You know where I think the most ticklish spot is for runes? Right here,” he said, possibly a little too suggestively. He lifted up Jens’s shirt and started drawing a strength rune right at the space between his oblique muscles and his rib cage in the dip of his waist. Jens wriggled, squirming under Lucas’s touch. “Uh, uh, uh,” Lucas joked, wagging his finger. “You wouldn’t want me to mess up and accidentally make you sprout a third ear.”

“That’s not possible, idiot,” said Jens through gritted teeth. When Lucas was done, Jens took a steadying breath and turned to look back at him with an evil gleam in his eyes. “My turn.”

Jens wasted no time in pulling up the front of Lucas’s gear shirt. He inscribed a strength rune in the center of Lucas's muscular stomach. He then moved to that same ticklish spot on Lucas’s right side, and head bowed with his bottom lip between his teeth, he drew an agility rune there. He then looked up, catching Lucas’s eye, and moved his fingers to the waistband of Lucas’s pants. Keeping eye contact, he pulled them down a few inches to expose his hip bone. He winked before lowering his head to draw a sure-footed rune right over the exposed spot.

Lucas squirmed under Jens’s touch. It took all his power not to jump when Jens attacked that tender spot, but he was utterly unprepared for Jens’s last rune. The second Jens looped his finger over his waistband, Lucas started sweating. His heart rate increased, trying to fly out of his chest, and his breathing became ragged. By the time Jens winked, Lucas was struggling to maintain control over his body. When Jens finished the rune and removed his hands, Lucas felt both relief and loss. 

They sat silently together for a minute, Lucas trying to catch his breath and Jens lost in his thoughts. Then Jens looked shyly at Lucas. “I never thought giving someone runes could be so hot.”

With heated cheeks, Lucas said, “Me neither. It’s not generally something you think of in the heat of battle. But that...that was very sexy." Looking sideways at Jens, he said, "I’m not averse to doing it again. You know, we still have to do our glamour runes.”

“Yes, we do,” Jens responded with a widening grin. “C’mere. Where do you want it?” Lucas lifted his chin, leaning his head to the right and exposing his neck. Jens’s eyes lit up, and he held Lucas’s head and cheek in his left hand as he drew the rune on the side of his neck. Lucas could feel the calluses on his palm, yet his hand was gentle, long slender fingers lightly touching his cheek.

When Jens finished, he put his stele down and removed his hand from Lucas’s face, but before Lucas could miss his touch, Jens leaned his head to the side just as Lucas had. Cradling his head with his hand, Lucas drew the rune onto his neck. As he lifted the stele, he let his forefinger slide up the length of his neck, stopping just in front of Jen’s earlobe. He could feel Jens shiver with the hand still holding his head.

When he let go, they both stood up. “I guess it’s time to get to work,” Jens said disappointedly.

“Yeah. Hey wait,” said Lucas remembering, “what about your partner?”

Looking back over his shoulder, Jens raised his eyebrows. “I already have my partner.” Lucas’s ears turned red. “I told Jonathon to take the night off. It’s just you and me. Let’s go.”

***

Jens and Lucas patrolled the streets, their adamas clad bodies hidden from the mundanes by the glamour. The night had been uneventful so far, something for which Jens was grateful. All he really wanted to do was walk with and talk to Lucas. They talked about their training and their childhoods. They talked about places they’d been and places they wanted to go. Lucas was desperate for travel. He wanted to see the world, and Jens would be very happy to go with him.

As they walked, their fingers would occasionally brush against one another, lingering a little longer each time. Just as Jens was about to take the leap and reach for Lucas’s hand, a beeping noise rang out of the sensor.

“Well, there went that peaceful night,” sighed Jens. “Demonic activity.” Holding up the sensor and looking at the screen, he pointed north towards an alley and said, “This way.”

Jens could hear Lucas pull out his seraph blade and dagger from the crossed scabbards on his back as he followed Jens towards the alley. Silently, Jens pulled out his long sword and held it up in front of him. He put the sensor back in his pocket when the beeping stopped. They were just outside of the alley.

Looking at Lucas, he raised his eyebrows and quickly nodded his chin up at the fire escape above them. Lucas took the hint, and sheathing his weapons, he darted up the wall and disappeared into the dark of the fire escape. 

Carefully, Jens stepped into the alley, both hands on the grip of his sword. It was narrower than he had expected. He couldn’t help thinking that his weapons were not ideal for fighting in close quarters.

At the end of the alley, he saw a dark shape chewing on something that looked like bone. So far it hadn’t sensed him. He shifted slightly to the left, pivoting for a better angle, and in doing so his boot grazed a loose rock. The demon stiffened and then turned quickly. 

Before Jens had time to think, it lunged at him, mouth wide. Numerous snake-like tentacles extended from its mouth, reaching for him. He cut at the tentacles with his sword, but they were fast; and his sword was too big for the space. Throwing it down, he grabbed one of the seraph blades from his belt. He hacked at the strange tentacles, splashing ichor everywhere, but the demon was like a hydra. More just kept showing up. He felt like he wasn’t getting anywhere. 

As he was rethinking his strategy, he felt rather than saw a large shape fall and land on the demon. The tentacles redirected themselves at the new attacker, and Jens saw Lucas hanging on the demon’s back, seraph blade sticking into its hard skull, dagger trying to find a vulnerable spot on its head.

Jens took the opportunity to pull out his bow and string an arrow. He aimed it inside the demon’s mouth and shot. The arrow flew accurately, but the demon was unaffected. Jens tried to find its eyes but couldn’t. Instead, he just shot arrow after arrow into its body. 

Lucas hadn’t made any headway either. Jens saw him pause and look up, and before he knew it, Lucas had left his seraph blade behind and had jumped back up into the fire escape. He had a fleeting second to think, _my monkey-boy_ , before Lucas came leaping off the fire escape again, this time holding two long metal bars. Both bars pierced the demons back, and Lucas jumped off, rolling into the shadows. 

Now being able to get closer, Jens went back for his long sword, and aiming between the bars he cut the demon in half. He left the disintegrating corpse behind and went to find Lucas. 

Lucas was pushing himself up gingerly. Jens held out his hand, and when Lucas grasped it, he hauled him up. Together they walked out of the alley, picking up their dropped weapons as they passed them.

Jens sat Lucas on a nearby stairwell and said, “Wait here, don’t move. I need to be responsible for a second.” He pulled the sensor out of his pocket and checked it for any more demons. Seeing none, he moved onto part two. The ichor needed to be cleaned off before it burned or poisoned him, so he grabbed a cloth from the pocket on his thigh and wiped the ichor off of his face, neck, and hands. 

Walking back to Lucas, he took Lucas’s cloth from his matching pocket and slowly wiped a few ichor stains from his cheeks and neck. “There we go. All better,” he said, shoving the cloth carelessly into his own pocket. “Now,” he pulled Lucas to his feet and put his hands on either side of Lucas’s head, thumbs gently brushing along his cheekbones, fingers lightly touching his curls. “Now, I am going to be irresponsible.” He looked Lucas directly in the eyes and held his head firmly, “You are the sexiest shadowhunter I have ever seen. What you just did was...was so...so HOT!”

Brown eyes still locked on blue, Jens leaned forward until his lips were millimeters from Lucas’s. He could feel Lucas’s uneven breathing and tense body. After a few seconds he gave Lucas a questioning look and let his eyes drift closed. He waited in agony and anticipation hoping Lucas would close the distance between them.

And he did. The second their lips touched Jens could feel all the pent up energy in his body explode, causing him to tingle all the way down to his toes. Lucas’s lips were soft, and they moved slowly, exploringly against Jens’s. Jens pulled him in, wrapping his right hand behind his head, letting his fingers massage Lucas’s scalp. As Jens’s other hand traveled down Lucas’s spine to settle in his lower back, Lucas’s tongue pressed against Jens’s lips. Jens opened his mouth and met Lucas’s tongue with his own. As they deepened the kiss, Jens pulled Lucas even closer, this time with his left hand, causing Lucas to bend backwards a little.

Lucas wrapped his arms around Jens’s neck to keep from falling. He giggled and smiled against Jens’s mouth. Jens took the opportunity to bury his face in Lucas’s neck, kissing the rune he’d inscribed there and hugging him close.

Lucas, regaining his balance, pressed his face into Jens’s neck, and Jens could feel Lucas’s lips trailing up and down his neck. Then, his stomach flipped, dropped to the floor, and bounced back. Lucas was tracing the rune with his tongue! He had moved his right hand to support Jens’s neck and was nibbling and licking the other side.

Jens gasped, “This isn’t fair. I want to kiss the runes I put on your stomach.”

“While I think that is an absolutely amazing idea,” Lucas said between kisses, “It’s not going to happen right now. We still have to finish our patrol.”

“I know,” Jens whined, “but your runes will be gone by the time we get back.”

Lucas smiled suggestively up at Jens, and gave him a quick kiss again. “Think about how much fun you’ll have giving them to me again.”

Jens’s entire body heated up at the thought, and his heart soared. He responded, “I like how your mind works.” He placed his hands on either side of Lucas’s face and pulled him in for one last, lingering kiss. “All right, let’s get going.”

***

Sunday 07:36

Lucas: Where’d you go? 

Jens: Just went for a run. 

Lucas: Ew. 

Jens: I’ll be done in about 30 mins. I’ll bring you coffee and croissants as a peace offering. 

Lucas: I’ve been abandoned, and you think I can be bought off with food and drink?

Jens: ... Yes 🥺

Lucas: Just make sure one of them has nutella in it, and I might forgive you.

Jens: Not Pain au chocolat?

Lucas: Die, imposter!

Jens: Ok. Got it. Nutella it is!

Jens: And Lucas...

Jens: When I get back, I do want to talk about why you were avoiding me. You might want to mentally prepare yourself for that.

Lucas: Oh that. Now that you’ve had your tongue down my throat and ripped off most of my clothes, that’s not an issue anymore.

Lucas: I was crazy about you and thought you liked girls.

Jens: You’re an idiot...

Jens: But you’re my idiot. 

Saturday 14:35

Robbe: Jens?

Sunday 18:43

Robbe: Jens? Where are you?

Monday 10:03

Robbe: Jens? I’m going to call the Inquisitor in to check on your ass if you don’t answer me.

Jens: What? I’m here.

Robbe: I repeat. Where have you been? 

Jens: Nowhere. You’d know if you weren’t attached to Sander’s face.

Robbe: Touché 

Robbe: Anyway, Sander and I were wondering if you wanted to come over for dinner and a movie. Sander’s cooking.

Jens: Will Lucas be there?

Robbe: Probably. He kind of lives there, you know. You haven’t talked to him yet?

Jens: 🙄 

Robbe: Maybe tonight will be better. Will you come? Sander and I will sit between you if needed.

Jens: Ok, fine. I’ll be there. What time?

Robbe: 18:00

Sunday 14:51

Sander: Can I borrow your pens? You know the nice ones with the tapered tip?

Sunday 15:40

Sander: Lucas! Can I steal the pens from your room?

Sunday 16:00

Sander: I’m going to go steal your pens. 

Sunday: 22:51

Lucas: Sure. 

Monday 10:32

Sander: LUCAS! What’s going on? You haven’t been home all weekend. 

Lucas: 🥱

Sander: Whatever. I invited Robbe and Jens over for dinner and a movie tonight. Will you stay?

Lucas: Why?

Sander: What do you mean why? You know why. Stop being ridiculous.

Sander: They’ll be here at 18:00, and Lucas?

Lucas: Yes?

Sander: Please try to be nice.

Lucas: 🖕

***

Lucas was sitting on the couch across from Sander when he heard the doorbell ring. Sander shot up and answered it immediately. He came back, towing a smiling Robbe by the hand. Jens trailed behind, head down, hands fisted deep in his pockets.

Lucas stood up, hands clenched at his side, scowling at Jens, and Jens rolled his eyes. Robbe attempted, “Come on guys. At least try to get along.”

As Sander started saying, “Yeah --” Jens rolled his eyes again and walked straight up to Lucas, wrapping his arms around him and kissing him. Lucas’s hands relaxed and made their way up to Jens’s back and pulled him in closer. 

Sander and Robbe stood immobile, mouths open, wordless. They watched their _Parabatais_ kiss in absolute shock.

Finally, Lucas pulled back and addressed Sander. “You wanted to know where I’ve been. I’ve been at Jens’s house all weekend.”

Sander and Robbe remained dumbfounded. Robbe recovered first, asking “How long?” He cleared his throat. “How long has this been going on?”

“Since Friday,” answered Jens.

“Then why,” Robbe stared daggers at his _Parabatai_ , “Are you only telling us now? Monday?”

Jens didn’t even have the grace to look sheepish. He just smiled at Lucas and said, “Because we thought this would be funnier, and honestly your faces made it totally worth it!”

“Assholes,” Sander finally got out.

“Yeah, well,” said Lucas. “You probably would have done the same thing if you hadn’t fallen disgustingly in love with each other at first sight. You’re just jealous that we pranked you.”

“You’re still assholes, but I’m happy for you. Now, come,” Sander said, beckoning with his hand, “Let’s eat so we can watch the movie.”

“And cuddle,” added Robbe.

“Yes, all the cuddling,” agreed Jens, pulling off his hoodie.

Robbe stopped in his tracks, looking at Jens’s neck. “What,” he pointed, “is that?” All along Jens’s neck were little purple marks in the shape of a glamour rune. “Nope.” Robbe shouted, waving his arms wide like a referee. “Halt the cuddling. No cuddling. You two have already done way too much cuddling already. I am going to sit between you and act as chaperone because you clearly can’t control yourselves.”

Sander poked his head out of the kitchen. “Robbe, baby, come here for a second.” Robbe walked into the kitchen, and Sander wrapped his arms around him and ruffled his hair. “You are going to cuddle with me like we planned, and those two bozos can do what they want?” Then he kissed Robbe. “Ok?” Robbe nodded and kissed him again.

Jens looked over at Lucas and rolled his eyes. Lucas smiled back, thinking it was a good thing that Robbe hadn't seen his stomach. Moving toward the kitchen, he snuck up behind Jens and gave him a hug and a kiss on the cheek. He then dropped his arms and grabbed Jens’s hand, pulling him into the kitchen.

They watched the movie, Jens sitting on the floor, leaning against the couch, Lucas leaning back on his chest, sitting between his legs. Sander and Robbe cuddled side by side on the couch. It would be impossible to decide which couple annoyed the other more by being sickeningly in love.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you all for reading! 
> 
> Is there an audience for more wtFOCK/Shadowhunters AUs? If I can ever get my butt in gear, I have this multi-chapter Malec/Sobbe fic outlined. Robbe, Lucas, and Jens are Shadowhunters; Sander is Fey; Zoe and Yasmina are Vampires; and Senne, Moyo, and Aaron are Werewolves. Milan, of course, is a Warlock! Maybe I'll get around to it.
> 
> Tumblr  
> @If-music-be-the-food-of-love


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